No more blackmail: The US is sending Pakistan a message - on the back of an F-16 fighter jet

Much to Islamabad’s chagrin, the line coming out of Washington is loud and clear: Pakistan is now being asked to pay for F-16 jets from of its own pocket.

The message the US is sending by threatening to yank financing for the F-16 jets could not be more categorical.

Purchase

Pakistan can still purchase the fighter jets, but Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Senator Bob Corker has promised to block any US funding for the deal, in a reflection of congressional anger at the Pakistani government for what many say are its close relationships with anti-American Islamist militants.

The US has refused to subsidise Pakistan's purchase of eight F-16 jets, citing "congressional objections".

The jets and other military equipment approved for sale to Pakistan will cost the US exchequer around $700m.

Earlier this year, the Obama administration had approved the sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

But Bob Corker announced earlier this week that Pakistan will have to pay full price for its purchase from the United States.

Senator Corker commented: “Given congressional objections, we have told the Pakistanis that they should put forward national funds for that purpose.”

Some members of the US Congress, led by Sen. Corker, had objected to the use of US funds to give subsidy to Pakistan for the sale of the F-16s.

This is based on what they have seen as the Pakistan government’s support of militant groups that targeted Americans and Afghans, and their inadequate support to the Afghan peace process.

Pakistan is reportedly exploring alternative options, such as the Russian SU35 and the Chinese J10 and J20 stealth fighters.

Sartaj Aziz, adviser to the Pakistan Prime Minister, said that Pakistan will “opt for jets from some other place,” if the US funding is not arranged.

It is clear that even if the issue is resolved, US-Pakistan relations are only going to go downhill.

In many ways, this was bound to happen. Pakistan could not have expected to play China and the US off against each other for long.

Moreover, Pakistan’s dubious role in Afghanistan is creating a strong backlash in the US.

In his address to a joint session of Afghanistan’s two houses of parliament last month, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani threatened to lodge a formal complaint against Pakistan in the UN.

In a departure from his earlier stand, Ghani called on Pakistan to forego its attempts to bring the Taliban to negotiations and take military action against the militant group.

Diplomatic

The Afghan president had threatened: “If we do not see a change, despite our hopes and efforts for regional cooperation, we will be forced to turn to the UN Security Council and launch serious diplomatic efforts.”

Despite Pakistan’s repeated assertions that it would go after Taliban leaders, who refused to engage in the peace process involving Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States, and China, negotiations have stalled and deadly attacks in Afghanistan have increased as the Taliban carries out its 'Spring Offensive'.

On April 19, the Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack against a security agency responsible for protecting senior government officials and VIPs, which killed 64 people and injured 347 others.

Afghanistan has alleged that this deadly attack in Kabul was planned by the Haqqani network in Pakistan.

Rather than engaging Pakistan, Kabul is now retaliating by talking of isolating Pakistan.

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Dawa Khan Meenpal recently suggested that “Pakistan is in the state of isolation. We want to use diplomatic initiative to isolate Pakistan at regional and international levels and to tell the world where the terrorists are and which country and intelligence (agency) supports them.”

Washington’s anger is reflective of this growing divide in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations.

Sale

When the Obama administration decided to go ahead with the sale of F-16s to Pakistan, India's reaction was strong.

It had openly disagreed with the US' stand that the ammunition would help in the fight against terrorism, and argued that the weapons would be used against India.

The US Ambassador to India was summoned to underscore India’s displeasure.

Delhi is seriously concerned about the changing balance of air power in the region as Pakistan today has four squadrons of F-16 fighters, all built with US assistance.

But Indo-US ties today are at a completely different level.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets ready to address the US Congress next month, Washington and Delhi need to find a better way of managing Pakistan so as not to impact the positive trajectory of their bilateral ties.

There is a larger strategic reality that confronts India and the US beyond Pakistan.

This is clear from recent attempts by the two states to swap anti-submarine warfare technology in order to counter the threat from Chinese submarines.

It is likely that a joint US-India exercise on anti-submarine warfare will take place in the Philippine Sea and include Japan as the two navies gear up to hedge against patrols by Chinese nuclear-armed submarines.

Pakistan has been sent a message from the US polity that it cannot blackmail the US.

India should remain alive to such changes in the US and leverage them accordingly.

The writer is Professor of International Relations, King's College, London.